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*SPOILER FREE REVIEW* 

Since 2016, the streaming service, Netflix has produced one of the greatest shows to ever appear on television. What first started as an idea pitched by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, the ever iconic Stranger Things took the world by storm in its first season. On Nov. 26, 2025, Netflix began to release the fifth and final blockbuster season of Stranger Things in volumes. The next two volumes will be released on Dec. 25 and Dec. 31, respectively. After some internal deliberation, Netflix decided to release the final volume in theaters on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 to allow the final farewell to be as grandiose as possible for their most popular original product. 

Stranger Things is set in the 1980s in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. It focuses on a young group of friends, Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), who are thrown into a sinister plot once one of them goes missing and they find a girl, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), in the woods in the middle of a rainstorm. Since then, the story has become larger than life and achieved the status of “global phenomenon.” With the stakes higher than ever in the final season, the four boys team up one last time against the series’ main antagonist, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). 

The amount of production that has gone into this season has been the show’s best. There are incredible shots filled with tons of action that one would expect from a theatrical blockbuster. The increase in the budget is visible—via the incredible cinematography that the crew worked on diligently to produce. The stark contrast with the first season’s production is evident. This is likely because, since it became a global phenomenon, there is a higher demand for better quality to reach the expectations that the cast and crew have now set for themselves with previous seasons.

Stranger Things has not only changed behind the scenes but on screen as well. It has seemingly aged right alongside its main cast. Whereas the first two seasons were equivalent to that of a thrilling, coming-of-age adventure, the later seasons have taken on a much more graphic tone. Where there was once DnD (‘Dungeons and Dragons’) and Eggo waffles, now lie bodies and viscera. Stranger Things has now reached a more mature audience and as such must fulfill those requirements. 

Friends do not lie and neither did the Duffer Brothers when they promised a worthy finale for Stranger Things. With the first volume’s close, there is just enough content to hold out for the next two volumes, but not so much so as to keep the mystery for just a little longer. This is the biggest season of Stranger Things yet and we would be remiss if we did not tell you to check it out for yourself. There is no doubt that such an amazing story will close out with the glory that it deserves. The strangest thing is that, even though the main story will end, Netflix has promised that there will be more stories to come from the Stranger Things universe.

This can mean one thing and one thing only. . . more Eggo waffles!

Grade: 9/10